Santa brought me a brand spankin new computer (love that man!) and I am so excited to be able to blog again! I have to admit, I was pretty used to my old software, my old computer with all its quirks – and my new computer definitely has a learning curve!

So, my first blog post back after a long absence needed to be a big one right?

Well, how about this…

I was invited to take part in a milk paint seminar, and not just any old milk paint.

“Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint”

This girl was SERIOUSLY. EXCITED.

Like, not getting any sleep the night before kind of excited.

I have followed Marion and her blog for a long time and was very happy for her when she came out with her own product line. I watch all of her tutorials and read the reviews posted everywhere online. The paint looked amazing, but it wasn’t available locally. Her book was on my Christmas wish list (and will be mine soon!)

Pretty packaging!

I have been using chalk paint now for a while, on tons of different projects with great success. So, while I was definitely curious, I doubt I would have taken the plunge and ordered MMS milk paint in for myself.

But when I heard that a local shop, Lauren Lane Décor was going to be carrying it, I knew I would give it a try. Then I got the invite to be a part of the seminar, taught by the president of Homestead House Paint Co, Jennilynn Pringle and it was a no brainer!

(For those of you who may not know, Homestead House Paint Co is the manufacturer for all of the Miss Mustard Seed paint & products, and is a Canadian company!)

The class was amazing. It was hands on, each participant got to finish a shelf using any of the Miss Mustard Seed colors.

“Tricycle” underneath “Kitchen Scale”

Jennilynn was knowledgeable and easy-going, answering all of our many questions until we were comfortable enough to get started.

Jennilynn & Avery

We learned how to mix the paint properly, it seemed intimidating but was really simple.

“Mustard Seed Yellow”

How great is this yellow?

choosing my colors

We are still working on our master bedroom redo…and I was hoping this shelf would fit in the little window seat niche. So I chose my colors accordingly! Typewriter was my base coat, and I got perfect coverage with one coat. Over raw wood!! Let it dry for maybe 20 minutes, and then a coat of Mustard Seed Yellow, again, one coat.

Jennilynn had me rub candle wax along the edges and random spots in between the two coats, and wherever there was wax the yellow didn’t stick. Easiest distressing technique ever.

Another 20 minutes of dry time and my third color was Grainsack, but I mixed in a fair bit of Typewriter, I wanted a deeper gray. It came out exactly as I had hoped, and again covered in one coat.

It’s perfect!

Look at that wood grain showing through. Spectacular. The thing about milk paint, it actually becomes a part of the wood. It’s the only paint that will allow your grain to come through.

We finished with a light sanding, barely any was necessary for a butter smooth surface. Instead of waxing, which everyone knows sucks which is super time-consuming and labor intensive, we used Hemp Oil.

Hello! Why did I not know about this before?

Brush it on, wipe it back. Buff if you feel like it. Buffing will definitely add to the shine, so it totally depends on what you are going for. We were told two coats is more than enough.

Fits like a glove!

Ok, so are you ready to hear some comparisons? These are my opinions only, I am not being paid by any of these companies!

Chalk paint; I have used Annie Sloan’s and love it. Great coverage, very little odor, except in the waxes, Colors are easy to mix, lighten/darken etc. Expensive though, coming in at $55/quart.

I have also used the Van Gogh chalk paint collection, this one is lesser known, however it is also a Canadian company and for that reason alone I really wanted to love it. I have to say, it doesn’t compare very favorably to ASCP, for a few reasons. The two main problems I had were that I didn’t get very good coverage even after 3 coats, and I found the odor quite strong. It’s a thinner paint than the Annie Sloan, so it does take some getting used to. Price point for this one is about a third less than the Annie Sloan. If you haven’t been lucky enough to try Annie Sloan, you probably will get used to this one pretty quickly. I personally think it’s poor substitute.

Chalk paint vs. milk paint; I think it will completely depend on the application. There are some clear advantages to the milk paint, the fact that it comes in powder form is huge. The ability to mix your colors, and the hemp oil is amazing. And let’s talk about the price!

Locally, we can get a quart size bag of Miss Mustard Seed’s milk paint for less than $25. Half of what you pay for a quart of ASCP, and I would venture a guess that it will paint at least as much.

So there you have it!

I’d love to hear what you think, have you tried any of these paints? All of them? How would you rate them?

I’m excited to knock a few projects off my to-do list!

And finally, I’d like to wish each and every one of you a Very Happy New Year! I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog:)

Very informative, I have just started using A.S.C.P. and love it but the down side is we don’t have any other Chalk/milk paint available over here (Ireland) great tips thanks! i will have to investigate the Hemp Oil it sounds great.
The shelf is awesome!

Thanks Sandra! I would love to see what you paint when you get started (just know that it will fully become an addiction!) I tried to leave a comment on your blog, but the blogger platform still hates wordpress users;) I am following your blog now too!

The shelf looks great on the wall with the lovely pillows. Thanks for all this really helpful information! I look forward to getting some milk paint (now I just have to figure out the color). as well as her book!….(.BTW, the blog I had mentioned was Beneath My Heart).

I haven’t yet, I was told by a woman who carries both chalk paint and milk paint in her shop that you can’t. But I would like to try for myself. If you beat me to it, let me know what kind of success you have!

Hi Nicole! I saw Scrap Me Baby and new it had to be you! I want to do a kids desk in Chalk paint for my grandkids. Saw the Annie Sloane demo at the home show last fall…(I think it was). If it turns out then I will transform my coffee table….It sure seemed awesome there!
Barbara C